Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Camella Homes - (Mis)Leading Community Builder

This refers to a complaint I have filed with Camella Homes regarding a property I was trusted to oversee at Block 10 Lot 1 of Camella Springville South2, located at Molino3. Bacoor, Cavite for Ms. Evangeline Faller acquired through mortgage November 2006 under Pag-ibig. It has been a complete year since I filed my original complaint which was followed with personal visits, text messages, and phone calls.

The property is a corner dead-end lot. A perimeter fence which serves as its firewall as well is the adjacent to Cuevas and Macoa Compounds. People neglect the backyards because it's not visible to passers-by. This would explain the unfinished cementing of the road and sidewalk which directly affects the corner lot at the dead end portion of the subdivision.

The monthly amortization we pay is Php16,298. I give emphasis on the amount to drive to the point that the property is not a low-cost project; that with that amount, we deserve high quality of craftsmanship in the construction of the house which did not turn out to be as I expected. I was convinced to sign move in papers with the assurance from the contractor, Esguerra Construction, that they are willing to repair any complaint as long as its within the interiors only. One major complaint is the drainage system which is clogged, the manhole cover is broken exposing the pit with its murky, smelly water. This also causes clogging in the bathroom drainage so everytime the toilet is flushed water would gush out of the flooring. My sidewalk is all flooded, I cannot open my main entrance gate to accomodate vehicles inside my fence.

Another major complaint is the incomplete cementing of sidewalk as well
as the road leading to the perimeter fence. This becomes a muddy site during these stormy days. What an ugly site for a place from a leading homemaker, Camella Homes.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Sentimental Journey

The day began very early at dawn upon receiving a text message from my older son, Erik telling me he's at Makati Medical Center for urinary problem. I expected that he is in the emergency or out patient department so I told him to drink natural apple juice, sambong tea. I asked him also to come home later when the medication is completed. My dizziness for lack of sleep increased when the reply went: Confined for complete obstraction in the urinary tract. My plan to doze off again has to be dropped. As a very strong woman, I did not panic. Alone in the house, and somehow I felt tears in the rim of the eyelids. Too busy thinking about the laundry, book markers for the fund raising in the Mr. & Ms. English pageant; next week is the final run for the November school affair. Had my breakfast of two small buns, putoseko which I bought at Calamba after the RELCAAP Seminar Workshop. I had to adimt I didn't feel full after a mug of coffee. I knew the culprit - stress. I resigned to the reality.

As I was approaching the commanding landscape, I felt memories flash back 27 years ago. Expansion work is going on, I missed the front entrance. I took the right side path, then I passed the Outpatient Department. It was there where I had my prenatal check ups. As a Makati resident with Mayor Yabut as the incumbent top official, we availed free hospital service. Finally, I found the back entrance. Then I was at the lobby and I saw the elevators. Where could OB-Gyne be now? I was rushing to be with my son, but at the same time I was walking the memory lane when I gave birth to the same child I am coming for to this hospital. 27 years! How time flies so fast. I reached the fifth floor. Coming out of the elevator, I wondered how my son is. I inquired at the nurses station. Finally at last, I'm at the door, soft knocks on the door, the door opens...

Monday, November 19, 2007

RELCAAP 2007, Montevista - Laguna

Having attended the RELCAAP (Regional English Language Center Alumni Association of the Phils.) 2007 at Montevista Resort, Calamba, Laguna has added a feather to my cap. It is considered a vital professional endeavor for English and Filipino teachers in the country. The topics presented were focused on fluent use of the English language. Speakers were the country's best crop, better than the foreigners. Why say this? They invited a Peace Corps volunteer and he made me sleep. No slides, no voice projection, no audience rapport - I couldn't stay 5 minutes awake. But the Filipino counterparts- they were brilliant, if not outstanding.

MOre than professional gain, is pride that my aunt Dr. Vilma Labrador, is Undersecretary of the Dept of Education, adviser of RELCAAP, and recently UNESCO Commissioner. In her closing program speech, she emphasized that poverty is not a hindrance to success. She can bravely prove this point because she came from a family of 12 children - 3 sets of twins and orphaned from her father at the age of two, at the age of 5 she lost her mother as well. She was taken cared of, nurtured by eldest sister Nena (Avelina) until she graduated in college, magna cum laude. Tears gushed out but I didn't mind co-delegates see me sobbing at the last row of the hall.

What was impressive in her talk was that the meaning of education is Guro, Magulang, Anak (GMA). Well, she's a presidential appointee! She has the duty to be loyal to her apoointing officer. There are three vital elements in education: love, listen, and learn. But most importantly, the 5 qualities of a teacher are competence, courage, collaboration, capability, c

Well, she's one of a kind. She is the only DepEd Central Officer who rose from the ranks. She's got what it takes to be promoted principal, supervisor, superintendent, asst. secretary and now, undersecretary.

I salute and love you Mama Vi. You're my inspiration and brightest torch that lights up my path. I will be praying that your heart will stay on, on, and on.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Whole School Approach: GANHS Experience

The Department of Education has been trying numerous programs to increase the performance of students in national achievement tests. These tests measure the mastery of students in the different skills such as language, math, science, etc. Under the incumbent secretary Jesli Lapuz, the program is callled Whole School Approach for Effecting Reading and Writing (WSA). They conducted a seminar in Baguio; a few delegates from the Division of Las Pinas were sent; I wasn't lucky to be a delegate. For NCR, they chose Santolan High School as model of the WSA Program. We visited the said high school. We were amazed with what we saw. Majority felt it was not a public high school. Though it was limited in space, they made use of all corridors for student activities. It was very obvious that they did not repaint the walls a day before to cover vandalism. We did not smell the smell of fresh paint. When we toured the poultry, we did not see broken chairs piled up. It was really something very extraordinary for a public school. More surprisingly, they implement tutorials, advanced or remediation religiously. As extra curricular, students get involved in arts, drama, dance. The students who performed ballroom were finalists in a local dance sport contest, costumes courtesy of the local city government of Pasig.

Back to my own school: We have implemented a remedial program involving pretest in spelling,review of vowel combination, reading of word parts, focus in meaning and post test in spelling. So far, it has been successful, sepecially in English Department. Other departments are half-willing. The results are not as succesful with English's. They just don't realize that to teach reading, one must start with the sounds first.

I wish other schools would utilize this type of remedial strategy. Ten minutes may sound so stressful to accomplish the task. But if you have the heart for the students who were obviously always absent due to family's economic dificulty, we can readily remedy the reading problems of the high school students

Thursday, November 8, 2007

National Book Month: Literacy Begins in the Family

As we anticipate the glittering, sparkling, shivering month of December; as we look forward to the nine (9) dawn masses in preparation for the main event - the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ - the Department of Education points to an extremely significant ingredient in literacy - reading books. This year, the theme goes back to the basic: the family as the first teacher of every child.

Filipinos very well know the model of this necessity - Dona Teodora Agoncillo, the mother of our national hero. A very famous story I used in my graduation address in a preparatory school, about the the mother and its baby moth. The story goes "the baby moth was attracted by the flame from the lamp used by Dona Teodora while teaching the little boy Jose to read. The mother moth told its baby not to fly very near the flame because it will get burned. The baby moth did not heed its mother so its wings got caught in the flame, fell and died.

It seems that Jose was not interested in the task, so the mother used the lesson about the moth to drive to her point - disobedient children will be punished. This was not just teaching how to read, but teaching good behavior.

The family,as the basic unit of society has the duty and responsibility to educate its offsprings starting from the womb. The foundation years (1-6 yars old) of every child is significant stage where the child is likened to a sponge in absorbing all knowledge it is subjected to. It is therefore obligatory on the part of the family; in fact the Constitution provides for this so that no child will grow illiterate.

It is sad that in public schools, especially in high school, so many young people are being abandoned by its family in this aspect. They treat the school as an orphanage: after enrolling their child, who cares? The students who consistently receive poor grades are products of such kind of family.

This is one major cause why quality education can never be achieved in public schools in the country. Parents always point to the government, teachers for the failure of their children. When education became free in secondary public schools, graduates became "half-educated". They cannot pass the national achievement test. Every year, the result of the national assessment test declines. With free public education, the number of graduates increase every year. How many get employed? How many can speak fluent English?

Sunday, November 4, 2007

English Majors - An Endangered Species

A fellow teacher is taking a personal leave to travel to Korea. I'm personally thrilled and grateful for the absences she will incur. Honestly, she is not to be missed. What pains a head teacher is the lack of human resources. We had a few applicants before the previous schoolyear closed. Two of them had been taken in but only one is teaching English. One applicant got sick and she did not follow up he application at the Division Office. Ruth is teaching aa a volunteer in a foundation school with no compensation. She gets her bread in tutoring a Korean in a nearby village. She was informed of scenario and was very enthusiastic about the job. A conflict in schedule is very imminent because the load of her substitution is in the afternoon till early evening. The Korean would not consent to an adjustment of the tutorial sessions. And Ruth, considering the livelihood she earns from the foreigner, has nothing to do but accept the fate.

I have been asking around for prospects: friends, relatives in the field. Negative. A relative said she can try but she is not English major. She is a Math/Science major. I have accepted the reality that graduates who are English majors are becoming endagered.

This is because lesser students can not meet the demands of English course.